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Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror: Author Interviews ~ Grigori T. Cross

Welcome to another Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror Author Interview. Today, I'll be featuring Grigori T. Cross!For the rest of October and in to November I will be interviewing the authors who contributed to the 2017 Horror Anthology created by Jenna Miller. The anthologies will be coming out Oct. 31st and all proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. So get scared for a good cause!All right, let's get to the interview! Grigori's answers will be in teal.

1) Is this your first year participating in the LGoH?

This is my first year participating in the LGoH, and I’m happy to say it won’t be my last.

2) If so, tell us what drew you to this anthology.

Jennifer L. Miller, the mastermind behind the anthology, has a sterling reputation for being professional and accommodating among those friends of mine who have participated in previous years. When the opportunity to trust her with my work presented itself, I was very pleased to seize it.

3) What is your preferred genre?

The genre of film I prefer is drama and film noir, but the only thing I really prefer in what I read is good writing. The truly great works of any genre are filled with inspiration and fantasy, and I like to indulge in healthy doses of both.

4) What other titles do you have published?

Before appearing in LGoH, a short story of mine was published in an e-zine that is sadly no longer active. That story, “The Duels at Midnight,” is set to be re-published in this year’s anthology, though, so there’s no need to do any electronic grave-robbing.

5) Where do you get your ideas?Anything I experience or think about experiencing has the potential to give me an idea for a story. I’ve written poetry based on nothing more than the humming of electrical power lines. A novel I’ve just begun writing is partly inspired by works of philosophy I’ve read. It’s even a fun challenge to see how I might make something worth reading out of something totally dull and uninspiring.6) Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Pinpointing the words that most aesthetically complement each other while accurately reflecting what it is I want them to say can be a severe drain on time and energy. I usually save that process for second drafts, during which any given piece can end up twice the length it was when I first wrote/typed it out. Still, none of that negates how enervating it is to see the words spill from my fingers when I’m in the throes of writer’s flow.

7) Do you write for yourself or your audience?

I’ll only ever write for myself. Should it ever come to pass that I’ve allowed myself to be less than proud of the quality of my work because I’m catering to my audience, I’ll know that my integrity as a creator has been compromised. I’ve no problem allowing creative parameters to help inspire me, but nothing creatively fulfilling can come out of me if I’m pandering.

8) What other authors are you friends with and how do they help you become a better writer?

I'm fortunate to count such authors as Rick Powell, Evelyn Eve, and Hydra M. Star among my friends. However, we talk so rarely about our respective writing processes that the way they help me most is by encouraging me to keep writing. Being worthy competition doesn't hurt, either.

9) What was the hardest scene to write?

When I’m asked which scene was hardest to write, I end up thinking about the scenes I’ve written that have been the most violent, or perhaps the most heartbreaking, because that’s where I think the question is leading, but the truth is that those scenes are usually full of passion. Passion is not the most difficult to write. For me, what’s seriously hard is when I’m in the middle of a second draft, realizing that the story has changed along the way to the point that the next scene doesn’t make any sense with the rest of the story. Granted, that’s what revisions are for, but trying to reconfigure plot and story structure can be totally disorienting.

10) Do you Google yourself?

I’m a millennial cliché, so yes, but not often.

11) Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

Hiding Easter Eggs in creative work is just what creative people do, whether intentional or not. In my case, it’s always intentional. How to correctly interpret those Easter Eggs is a different matter entirely.

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Thanks so much for participating in my interview, Grigori! It's nice to learn about authors and what inspires them, or compels them, to write. I also have to agree, trying to reconfigure your story after it's taken a turn is definitely difficult!

If you'd like to connect with Grigori, please check the link below! And have a great rest of your week, everyone!